Not so ordinary days
by MarGroAlarcon
Summary: It takes place after Manhattan on Snow's Birthday, Will Snow finally be happy about her birthday? Later Charming Family bonding and SwanThief
1. Happy birthday mom

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Set after "Manhattan"

Based on the spoilers of the next episode "The Queen is dead"

Snow and David had spent Snow's birthday at Granny's and after they returned to the apartment.

Entering the apartment David noticed a sad look on his wife's face so he took her with both hands gently by the shoulders "Hey" he said in a comforting tone "Are you ok?" Snow noticed the worry in his face and try to hide her sadness "Yeah I'm fine" then looked away but David stopped her and grabbed her hand "Is this about our daughter? You miss her?" Snow made an effort of a smile "Yes, I just wish she could've been here with us _today" _Charming gave her a reassuring smile "I know Snow but no matter where she is I'm sure she and Henry are Ok, don't worry about them, oh right? They'll be back soon and _maybe _we could go celebrate your birthday when they get back…" David said trying to convince his wife for the 4th time that her birthday should be a reason to celebrate "C'mon Charming I told you I don't like to celebrate my birthday and besides when they get here it won't be my birthday anymore so I really don't see the point on doing anything special"

A while later David and Snow where in the kitchen preparing Hot Cocoa with cinnamon as they heard a noise coming from outside the door, they looked at each other and then walk to the door, just as they were half way from there the door opened.

"Hey" Snow ran to Emma who was barely inside the apartment and gave her a big tight bear hug that almost left Emma with no breath "Hey I missed you too" said Emma "but I can't breathe" Snow embarrassed let go of Emma "Sorry, It's just that I missed you so much" Snow was so happy to have her daughter back and wanted to never have to be apart again but she knew Emma wasn't very fond of physical affection so she had to restrain herself.

Then she realized that Henry was there too standing just besides his mother "Henry Come over here" he gave her a hug and then to his grandfather "Hey Gramps" said Henry "Hello buddy, did you have a good time in New York?" asked David concern for the boy given he'd just met his father a day ago "Yeah it was awesome. We found Mr. Gold's son and who turned out to be my father" Henry sounded excited which gave David a certain comfort "Yeah kid I guess it was more than good then" David looked up to see her daughter like waiting for an invite to get closer to her but who was he kidding Emma was never going to do such thing so he decided to go for it and gave her a tight hug "You ok Emma?" For Emma it was still strange to have David as her father and stranger to have him hugging her like she'd always dreamed her father should, but as strange as it was it gave her a comforting feeling and made her wish he never let go "Yeah I'm fine" she said pulling away from the hug "I'm just a bit tired from the trip but nothing a Hot cocoa can't fix" and took a peek to the kitchen to find to cups of hot cocoa, then turned to her mother with a more serious look and took a deep breath, she wasn't sure of what she was about to say and after that there was no going back from it, only one thing she was certain about her mother deserved it for no one ever loved her more than she did, than she does. "Happy birthday Mom"


	2. Birthday Presents

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**Chapter II**

**Birthday presents**

Snow was so happy she couldn't stop smiling, hearing her daughter call her mother was the thing she needed the most, especially on a day like this, a day that reminded her of the loss of her own mother, a day that never had a single drop of happiness since her mother passed away.

But right after all the overwhelmed of listening to that word passed she came to think _'How did she know it was my birthday today?' _she didn't recall telling her '_Of course Charming' _and then with a very VERY powerful look turned to David.

"Did you tell her?" Snow said a little pissed, given she had made him promised never to celebrate or tell anyone about her birthday

David a bit ashamed confessed "alright, alright, wha did? It was only because I know you don't like to celebrate your birthday and I also know that if she knew, maybe she could've convince you otherwise"

Snow understood why he had done it and was really grateful that he did but still she wasn't going to let it go that easily, she had her pride to protect so she gave him a warning look, one look that told David it wasn't the end of the argument, and then she softened her expression "Thank you David"

"So" said Emma, a little nervous her mother wouldn't have been convinced enough "I guess it's pretty late tonight BUT, what if tomorrow we – the four of us - have a really nice dinner to celebrate your birthday?"

Snow thought it was a great idea, she couldn't be happier that her daughter wanted to spend time with her as a family, so she couldn't resist agreeing with her "Well I say it's a great idea. But for now how about I make some hot cocoa and you guys can tell us all about your trip to New York"

Emma was determined to do everything she could to celebrate the last hours of her mother's birthday, whether she wanted it or not, after all it was the first birthday they would celebrate together "I have a better idea" she said taking henry by the shoulder "How about we make the cocoa and you can start opening your birthday presents" 'Let's hope she doesn't hold it against David' thought Emma.

"What? What birthday presents?" 'Really David' she turned to look at her husband who was surprised to hear Emma and Henry had gotten Snow presents

"Hey don't look at me, I didn't had to do with any of it, the presents are all on them"

Emma approached to her mother and handed her a sky blue wrapped box with a beige ribbon and then henry followed her with a more colorful box "Happy birthday Grams" Snow smiled "Thank you sweetie" Emma went into the kitchen to start preparing the cocoa, as Snow and David sat on the couch.

A few minutes later Emma and henry joined them with the cocoa "So, aren't you going to open them?" Asked Emma anxious for her mother to take a look at her present

"Yes of course, Now that you are all here I guess I can" She began with Henry's gift it was a Snow ball of snow with and price Charming "It's beautiful Henry, thank you" and then she began to unwrap Emma's gift to discover it was a gold bracelet with the letter "E" in the middle. Snow couldn't stop the tears in her eyes, It was the best birthday present she'd ever had, because it meat her daughter had accepted her as a mother and not only as her best friend, she couldn't fin the words and so she open her arms to hug her daughter "Thank you Emma, I love you so much" Snow couldn't seem to be able to stop the tears in her eyes "I love you too mom" in that moment Snow knew she will ever remember that day, her birthday was now a reason to celebrate, to celebrate her daughter had finally called her 'mom'.


	3. Family talk

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**Chapter III**

**Family Talk**

The next morning David and Henry had left to the stables for Henry's first ride. Emma was standing a t the top of the stairs -watching her mother take a sip of her hot cocoa sitting on the couch - not being able to figure out what she was going to say, it was still hard to open up to her mother even though she wanted so badly to be close to her she couldn't help to feel a little strange that she'd finally had someone she could trust and depend on no matter what, so she took courage and walk down the stairs.

Snow had been worried about her daughter all night, she wanted to know how Emma felt about Neal coming back with them to town, but last night her daughter had avoided the subject, so she figured out she just needed time and of course she was going to be there for her when she needed her. Snow was so deep in thought that she didn't hear Emma's steps coming down her bedroom until she was already next to her.

Emma clear her throat noticing Snow hadn't realized she was standing there and said "Morning"

Snow jumped a little and said "Morning Sweetie, how did you sleep last night?"

Emma would still get a little freaked out when snow called her 'Sweetie' or 'Darling' basically other name besides 'Emma' would make her feel a little awkward, but right now she felt like she was getting used to it. She sat next to her.

"Well, I sleep a little, that's something, right?" said with a little hint of irony like she would normally say when she was nervous or uncomfortable, and then she turned to watch the TV.

Snow knew that if she didn't ask, Emma wasn't going to tell her anything so she decided to be the one to begin the conversation, she knew even though Emma wouldn't say anything, she wanted to talk to her otherwise she would've stayed in her room all day.

"Emma, are you ok? Do you want to talk about what happed in New York with Neal?" Snow grabbed her daughter's hand between her hands.

Emma wouldn't look at her mother; tears were forming in her eyes; before Emma would burst into tears, Snow noticed so she reached forward hugging her daughter.

"Oh Emma, everything is going to be ok"

"How do you know? How do you know Henry isn't going to want to leave me and go live with his father? After all I lied to him just like _she_ did" Emma cried still holding on to her mother.

"Emma you are nothing like _her,_ Henry knows that, and he loves you so much, he's not leaving you sweetie"

Emma pulled away from her mother "But how do you know?, back there in New York, Henry told me that he thought I was different but that I'm just like her, and it hurts me because _I don't want to hurt him like she did_" Emma said with tears were rolling down her face.

Snow couldn't see her daughter hurt over something that wasn't true; she wiped away Emma's tears with her thumb and the hold her daughter's hand between hers "Emma I'm sure Henry didn't mean to say that, I sure he was just angry that you didn't tell him the truth about his father"

"But that's the thing, I didn't tell him the truth, _I lied to him_, I shouldn't have done that. You didn't see the look in his face it was like he'd lost his hero" Emma was trying to put herself together.

"Emma I'm sure he doesn't think that way, besides, you are not only his hero anymore, you are _his mother_ and I think that's more important than anything else" she said giving her a reassuring look. "So don't worry about that, He'll forgive you, he may just need some time"

Emma was already calmed down thanks to her mother's words, it was incredible how Snow always knew what to say to make her feel better "Ok I won't, I promise"

"What about Neal? Is he staying in town?" asked Snow a little worried because she knew how he'd hurt Emma before

"I don't know, I think he wants to spend time with Henry, it's just that I don't want Neal to hurt Henry just like he hurt me" Emma took a deep breath "He told me why he left me there to take the fault for all the watched he stole, he said that he was trying to get me home, that August told him the truth of who I was and what I was supposed to do" she looked at her mother "I don't know if I should believe him, He _has_ lied before"

"You should listen to him, to the whole story, and then you can make a decision, but Emma, whatever your decision is, you do know you can't keep henry and his father apart, right?"

"Yeah I know, and I don't want to"

Henry and David had just finished with Henry's ridding lesson.

"Hey kid, you seem a little off today, are you ok?"

"No I'm not fine, I mad at Emma _she lied to me_" Henry was hurt that his mother had lied to him just like Regina had before.

"I know kid, but you can't stay mad at her forever, it doesn't do any good to any of you, and Emma, she did it to protect you" David was trying to get Henry to forgive Emma because he couldn't see his daughter hurt.

"But she _lied_ to me just like my mom used to, I thought she was different, but she isn't" Henry could still see how hurt was Henry about the whole thing.

David put his arm around Henry "I just hope you didn't tell her what you just said because that would really hurt Emma"

Henry looked down "I did" Henry said a little embarrassed "You think she is mad at me?"

"No, I don't think she is mad, but she might be hurt, She loves you very much Henry, and words sometimes can hurt people more that we can imagine" Henry didn't meant to hurt Emma when he said those things and if he could he'd take them back

"I don't want to hurt her" He now had forgotten he was mad at Emma, he just wanted her to be happy

"Well if you don't want to hurt her you should tell her, tell her that you didn't mean what you said and that you're sorry, I'm sure that would make her happy"

Henry hugged his grandfather "Thank you Gramps, I will"

Back in the apartment Emma and Snow were getting ready for dinner.

"You think they'll be back soon?" Emma asked worried because it was getting late and they weren't back yet

"Yeah, Don't worry they'll be here any minute"

And then the door opened and Henry ran towards his mother and hugged her really tight

"I'm sorry mom" he said still holding on to his mother "I don't think you are like Regina, I know I said it but I didn't mean it, I'm sorry"

Emma was so happy to finally have his son back "You don't have to apologize kid, I understand why you were mad and I'm sorry, I'm sorry I lied to you" She took Henry's face between her hands "and I promise I will never lie to you again" He hugged her again.

"So how about we all sit and have dinner" said snow so happy that her daughter was finally complete again.

"Henry, can you help me put the table?" said David

"Yeah Gramps"

Just as the family was finishing dinner someone knocked on the door "Don't worry I'll get it" said Emma getting off her chair and walking towards the door.

She opened the door

"Emma can I talk to you" Neal was standing outside the door hoping this time He could finally be heard.


	4. Second Chances

Thank you so much for you r**eviews **3,

**Chapter IV**

**Second chances**

She opened the door

"Emma can I talk to you" Neal was standing outside the door hoping this time He could finally be heard.

"Neal, what are you doing here?" Emma was surprise to see him

"Dad" Henry came running from the dining room, Snow and Charming followed him

"Hey buddy, how are you?" Neal gave him a pat on the shoulder and then looked up to see Emma's Parents standing in from of him with a not so welcomed look on their faces.

"I'm great" replied Henry

"Hum" Neal got a little nervous "Emma…"

"Oh yeah right, Neal these are my… they're my… Parents" No matter how much she thought about it, it was still weird to have Snow White and Prince charming as her parents

He shook hands with them "Nice to meet you"

"Hey Henry why don't we go get some ice cream?" Snow suggested seeing that Neal wanted to talk alone with Emma

"Yeah, sure Grams" answered Henry excited

"David, come with us?" Snow asked when she saw him not moving and with his eyes set on Neal

David looked over to Emma "We won't be long, ok?"

Emma was a little uncomfortable at the moment "Ok, I'll see you guys later"

Henry and his Grandparents walked out of the apartment

"So, what do you want to talk about?" asked Emma, concerned for what Neal had to say, she didn't want Henry to get hurt and Neal leaving town would do that, but in the other hand if he wanted to stay she wasn't sure how she'd feel about sharing his son with yet another parent.

"Emma, I want to move in to Storybrooke"

Emma just looked at him, she didn't say anything

"Look, Now that I know about Henry I want to be there for him, and my father is here, right now moving in is the only thing that makes sense and… you're here and… I don't know… " still not a word from Emma "Emma if you're not ok with this I'm sorry but no matter what you say I'm staying and if you..." Neal was interrupted by Emma

"Neal, Neal… calm down ok… I haven't said anything" she took a deep breath "I'm glad you want to stay…" Neal was surprised by Emma's reaction "I mean I'm not saying I forgive you for what you did to me 11 years ago, but it doesn't matter what you did in the past, you're still Henry's father and he loves you so much already… and I want him to be happy, I want him to have you in his life"

"I promise you Emma, I won't hurt him, I love him" Neal sounded sincere and that was good enough for Emma

A while later Henry, Snow and David came back from Grannys

"Dad, you're still here!" Henry ran to him and Emma and hugged them both

"Yeah buddy but I was just leaving" Which wasn't true at all but Neal was nervous because Emma's Parents had arrived too

"Oh, I thought we could watch a movie or something" he wanted to spend time with his father

"Look, what if tomorrow you come to my room at Granny's and we can watch all the movies you want, how's that?" Neal wanted to spend time with his son too, but he was a little uncomfortable with the looks David gave him now and then

"Ok" answered a little disappointed for not spending more time with his dad "Sounds good"

"Well then I better get going" Neal turned to face Emma "Emma could you… "Neal invited Emma to accompany him outside

"Oh yeah… I'll be back in a minute" she said to her parents

"It was nice meeting you" Neal said to both Snow and David, and then shook hands with David

**-Outside the loft-**

"I have a feeling your Dad doesn't like me very much"

"Yeah, well he must have his reasons" '_Like you leaving her daughter alone and pregnant in jail to take the fault for all the watches you stole' _Emma wasn't sure if she still held that grudge but she wasn't going to go there right now.

Neal grinned shyly and then with a more serious look he took Emma's hands in his "Emma, I know there's nothing I can do to make up for what I did, but I _promise_ I'll try to be better for Henry and… for you" Emma didn't wanted to hear what he was about to say, only because if she heard it she might realize she felt the same way "Emma I still love you" he pulled closer to Emma

'_Damn it why did he have to say that?' _She wanted to run away and never admit what she'd just realized, but she wasn't going to do that, she wasn't that person anymore, but how could she trust him again, after everything, how could she open her heart like that "Neal…I" she took a deep breath but she wasn't brave enough "can't"

"Emma you have to trust me, I love you with all my heart, and I'm not giving up ok?, no matter how much you push me away, my love for you will never change, it never has, you just have to give me a second chance to make it right" Emma could see he was being honest, and somehow she believed him, now she just had to be brave and admit it _'Just say it Emma or you'll never know'_

"I love you too" finally said Emma and that was all Neal needed to hear, before she could notice he reach out to her and kissed her as if a life time had passed wanting for that moment, maybe not a life time but eleven years.

**-Inside the loft-**

"Come on guys, don't you think it's getting a little late for sword fighting?" asked Snow

"Please Grams, five more minutes" Henry wanted so badly to win a battle against his grandpa for the first time

"Charming?" she turned to David hoping he would help her get the kid to bed

"Five more minutes?" he said and looked at Snow with those eyes she could never say no to

"Fine" she just gave up

Emma open the loft's door and Snow noticed there was something different about her, something brighter, she was happier "Kid you still up? I think it's way pass bed time and tomorrow you have to go to school" Snow turned to David and Henry and gave them the _I told you_ look

"Ahh, but I was just about to beat Gramps" begged Henry

"Well you can beat him another time, right now, brush your teeth and go to sleep" As happy as she was right now the kid still needed to wake up early in the morning "Oh right, Goodnight Gramps" said to David and the kissed Emma and Snow "Goodnight"

David was tired from all the sword fighting so he wished them goodnight and went to sleep.

"So are you going to tell me what happened out there, or do I have to get it out of you?" Snow wanted to know, No, she needed to know why her daughter was so happy

"Why do you think something happened?" Emma wasn't going to get away with this one but hell; she wanted to tell her mother about how she felt and not just about Neal, but about everything that changed since the curse broke

"I'm your mother Emma and I know you" She knew her daughter, and it wasn't because she was her mother, but because Mary Margaret helped her get to know her and that was something she was thankful for.

"I love him, I never stopped loving him" It was easier to say it now "and he loves me"

"Oh Emma I'm so happy for you, but…" Snow was indeed truly happy for her daughter but she didn't want her to get hurt, she pulled away "Are you sure about this Emma? It's just that I don't want him to hurt you again"

Emma understood what her mother was saying but she couldn't be surer, Neal loved her and he promised not to hurt her and she believed in him "I'm sure mom, I thought I hated him for what he did, and at some point I think I did, but he told me what happened and I understand why he did it, maybe would've done the same, but I don't hate him anymore" she looked at her mother's eyes "I don't know when was it that I forgave him, but I did and I'm glad"

Snow smiled at her daughter "I'm really proud of you Emma" she hugged her one last time "You should get some sleep" Snow pulled away "Yeah I should, goodnight"

"Goodnight" just as Snow was leaving Emma called for her

"Mom?" She had to say it, she had to let her know she had forgiven her too

"Yes sweetie?" She wasn't used to being called _'mom'_

"I need to tell you something…" Snow was now concerned for what her daughter had to say "Ever since the cure broke you've done nothing but take care of me as noone ever has and I know that you think you need my forgiveness" Snow's eyes filled with tears "but you don't, I have nothing to forgive you for, you did what you thought was best for me… and it was" Snow couldn't believe what she was listening, she finally had her daughter, really had her "You and David, Dad are the best parents I could ever ask for"

"Oh Emma, you are the daughter I've always dreamed of having" Both of them were crying, Emma couldn't believe how sentimental she'd become, now she had to many people she cared about, Henry, Neal and her parents

"I love you mom"

"I love you too sweetie"


	5. What we've always dreamed of

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**Chapter V**

**What we've always dreamed of**

Snow and Emma were sitting in the stool on the kitchen having breakfast, Emma eating cereal and Snow French toast, Henry came downstairs with his backpack filled with a bunch of movies

"Are you ready kid?" Emma asked him

"Yeah I am, Can Gramps take me? " Henry loved his grandpa very much, since they'd spent so much time together when Snow and Emma were in the enchanted forest they became really close

"Sure kid, that is if he wants to, of course" Emma said a little louder so her Dad could hear her, She knew David would love to spend time with his grandson but since he would be taking him to see Neal, she wasn't very sure he would

David came to the kitchen from his room "Of course I'll take him" David was happy that even now that henry had a father, the little boy still wanted to spend time with him, which meant a lot to him, Henry was the son he didn't have, the son he still wanted so badly

"Well kid, I'll see you later ok?" Emma said fixing his hair "Say hello to your Dad for me" She really wanted to see Neal but she had stuff to do at the station and if she'd seen him maybe she wouldn't have been able to go

"Sure" he replied happily "Let's go gramps!"

Henry and David left the apartment and Snow and Emma continued to have breakfast

"So Emma, you think Neal could come someday to have dinner with us?" Snow really wanted to get to know her daughter's true love

Emma was taken by surprise, she looked up to see her mother "You want him to come over?" She was so excited that Snow wanted to invite Neal for dinner because then she would have everything she ever wanted, she'd had all the people she loved in her life together

"Sure Emma, I want to get to know him, if he's an important part of your life then I guess he is part of mine too" she put her hand on her daughter's "though it wouldn't be such a bad idea if you'd let your father know first" she grinned, she knew Charming wasn't very fond of Neal

"Yeah I should do that" she said with a smile on her face "He doesn't like Neal very much, does he?" She hadn't realized it but she liked to have an overprotective father who would get jealous of her boyfriend, so to call him

"It's not that he doesn't like him, it's just that he doesn't know him and… well… you are his daughter" she grinned "and it doesn't matter if you are 28 years old, you are still his little girl" Whether she wanted to admit or not Snow felt the same way for her, Emma would always be her little girl

Emma smiled and then looked at the clock "I better get to the station, if David gets there first he'll make a mess of all the paperwork"

She said goodbye to her mother and left to work

**-Neal's room at Granny's-**

Neal opened the door of his room and saw Henry and David standing outside the door, he'd been expecting Emma to drop Henry so he worried when he didn't see her

"Hey buddy, how are you?" Henry ran to him and gave him a tight hug "and you mom?"

"She stayed at the apartment with Grams" replied Henry now looking at him

Relieved to know Emma was ok he turned to face David "David" he said shaking hands

He nodded "Well I better go; I was just dropping him off" he looked to see Henry "Goodbye kid I'll see you tonight"

"Bye Gramps"

Once David left Neal asked "So kid, are you ready for a whole Saturday of fun?" He was so happy to have his son with him, though it would've been nice to have Emma too

**-Sheriff's station-**

Emma was in her office checking all the files that needed to be updated

David got up from his desk and walk to Emma's office; she stood there watching her do her work. He was so proud to be her father, he wished to be close to her, he didn't have the opportunity Mary Margaret had to get to know her before the curse broke; Emma only knew David Nolan, She didn't really know Charming, her father, and that made his heart ache

Emma was so concentrated she didn't hear her Dad until he knocked on the door frame

"So I was thinking… we could get a grilled cheese from Granny's and… I don't know… talk" Grilled cheese was something they both liked and he learned that from all the late days at the station that he'd spent with his daughter

"Yeah Sure, I got some things I want to tell you" Emma found herself a little nervous to talk to his father about Neal, though she didn't know why, it's not like she was a 16 year old teenager talking about boys with her father

David was surprised to hear her say something like that, before today Emma never shared anything with him if he didn't ask "Ok then, Let me get those sandwiches and we'll dive in"

"Ok Dad" It was the first time Emma had called him _'Dad' _, at least directly to him, it was weird for her to call the man who broke her best friend's heart _'Dad' _ but she needed to forget about David Nolan and get to know Charming, her father.

David couldn't believe how happy those words made him, he hadn't been this happy since Emma was born, he wanted to run to his daughter pull her close and tell her how much he loved her , but he didn't want to push it so he just smiled and left to get their lunch

Once David left Emma decided to call Neal to see how him and Henry were doing "Hey, how are you guys doing?"

'We're great, we were just about to call you' said Neal

"Really? What did you wanna tell me?"

'We were thinking if you could come watch some movies after work?'

"Yeah sure" Emma said really excited to spend time with her son and her one and only true love

After a while David arrived with their grilled cheeses

"So what did you want to tell me?" he asked, taking a bite of his sandwich

'_Oh Damn this is harder than I thought' _This was so awkward, before, she never had to do any of this, she never had to introduce any boyfriend to any of her foster parents, but then none of them where worth the try "Oh yeah" she was little nervous and then rushing her words said "So, I wanted to let you know that I'm back with Neal" there was no other way to say 'I'm back with the thief that got me pregnant and left me in jail' but she had said it at last

At first David was a little upset but then he saw into her daughter's eyes and realized she really cared about Neal, worse he even saw love in her eyes, but as long as she was happy he could be happy too, he soften his look "Emma" he said and looked at her daughter's eyes only to realize the worried look she had "Emma" he said now laughing a little "What are you so worried about?" he asked still laughing

'_Oh, now my Dad is laughing at me, Great' _She pretended she didn't know what he was talking about "What do you mean? I'm not worried" as if this isn't awkward enough she also had to tell him about the dinner plans she and her mother had

"If you say so" He knew better than to bother her with that kind of stuff, he didn't want to end up eating alone "I just want you to know Emma, that If you are happy, I'm happy…" It wasn't like all of a sudden he liked Neal, but he was willing to try "and if Neal is part of that happiness, then I have nothing but to wish you guys the best"

Emma could tell David was sincere ; They say when you have an opportunity in front of you, you don't let it go and so Emma wasn't going to let it go "So… you would be ok if he comes for dinner someday?" she asked with a set of puppy eyes she knew her father couldn't resist

"Of course" he said "But I can't promise you I won't interrogate him or warn him like any other father would, that if he hurts you, he'll have me to deal with" he teased Emma and then grabbed her daughter's hand "I'm glad you told me Emma…" now was his turn to talk "Ever since the curse broke, I got to admit I been a little jealous of Snow… or better said of Mary Margaret, she got to be a part of your life as your friend and I didn't…" he stopped, one single tear rolling down his face

Emma could see the sad in his eyes, she loved him that was for sure, but she didn't know him as much as Snow, but she was grateful for the moment she and her father had right then "You don't have to…" he looked up to her confused "be jealous, I mean" If she was ever going to be truly a daughter to his father this was the moment "I know we didn't spend time like Mary and I did, and that I only got to know the not so 'Charming' sides of David but we are _here _right now, I know who you are and you know who I am, Let's just forget about the past and be the family we've always dreamed we could be"

She was right, David always dreamed of having a family, a family that he would love and protect forever, and now he had it, Snow, Emma and Henry, where more than he could ask for, but it didn't change the fact that he had dome things he regretted , like sending Emma through the wardrobe or not believing in Mary Margaret's innocence "Emma, I know that's what you want, but I want to apologize for not being there for you when you needed me, for" Emma interrupted him, she wasn't going to let her father feel guilty about something she was long over

"No please, Dad, like I've said to Snow, I don't care what happened 28 years ago, the important thing is that we have each other right now and that we never let each other go_" 'Wow, where are these words coming from?'_ she'd never been this open to her father before

David had nothing but to agree with Emma "Ok Emma" he looked at her like a proud father "You really have changed, for better of course"

She grinned "I know, and it's all because of you guys, you, Henry and Neal are the best thing that could happen to me" making an emphasis on that last one so her father wouldn't forget what they first talking about

He remembered, _Neal,_ "So, when is he coming over for dinner?" he said with a smile

Emma just stared at her father with a smile, much like his, then pulled him into a really tight hug which he responded to eagerly "What is this for?" he asked, not that he was complaining at all

"I love you Dad"

"I love you too, Emma"

She was truly happy to have a father who would always love and protect her as if she was still that little baby girl He'd just met.

**So what did you think guys, should I continue? **


	6. Tender moments and Crazy parents

**Thank you all for your reviews!**

**Chapter VI**

**Tender moments and Crazy Parents**

Emma and David had talk for what seemed hours until it was time for them to go home, David left to the apartment and Emma went to Neal's to spend the rest of the night watching a movie with him and their son.

She knocked on the door and Neal opened it

"Hey" she said with a playful smile as she played with his jacket

"Hey there" he went out the room and approached Emma trying to kiss her, and I say trying because she pulled off immediately

"Neal!" she said in a low voice and with eyes wide open "Henry's around, he could see us" Emma and Neal had agreed not to tell Henry about their _'situation' _because they didn't want to give the kid false hope in case something went wrong, though right now she didn't seem to think something could go wrong, she wanted to make sure so they wouldn't hurt Henry

"He is not here, he's making popcorn" he tried again to kiss her, but no luck

"Still, he could come in any second" she had to admit it; she liked to make Neal suffer a little bit. Emma made her way to the room leaving Neal still standing outside the door, once she made sure Henry wasn't around she ran back to Neal and gave him a quick kiss

"Ha! So how was that, that he could see us or something?" Neal teased Emma

"Well he's not right here, is he?" She grinned and then kissed him again, this time a real kiss, it was great for Emma to have Neal is her life, she loved him unconditionally and it would stay like that for ever, they pulled away

"I missed you" he said removing one of Emma's blonde locks from her face

"I missed you too" she said with a smile

"C'mon, let's get inside or that curious kid of ours is going to come out looking for us" he said as he brought his hand to take Emma's

Just as they entered the room Henry came into the room with a giant bowl full of popcorn "Mom! You're here" luckily Henry didn't notice his parents were holding hands "Are you ready to watch the movie?" he asked eagerly

"Sure kid, what are we watching?" she was hoping it wouldn't be something like _'Snow White and the Huntsman' _or _'Peter Pan'_; she'd had enough of fairytales in the past year of her life, she didn't want to watch it on TV also

"Pirates of the Caribbean, do you like it?"

"As long as Captain Sparrow isn't friends with Hook, I'm all good kid" she joked with Henry but she was being serious about what she said

"Don't worry, I don't think Captain Jack Sparrow is real, and if he is, he's definitely not hook's friend, in a _hundred_ years I never heard of Hook having a friend named Jack" said Neal

'_Oh great, you had to remind me you're a couple of hundred years older than you look'_ Emma gave him a look "Did you really spend that much time in Neverland?" she wished he could say no but that wasn't going to happen

"Ok buddy, let's put on the movie before your mom runs out of here afraid of the old man" he teased her then took the movie to put it on the DVD

She laughed and sat on the couch, henry followed her and then Neal after he put on the movie, henry sitting in the middle was so happy to have both of his parents with him, especially Neal because he never had a father before

The three of them watched the movie until henry fall sleep on Emma's side of the couch, he was almost crushing his mother leaving Emma on the edge of the couch, she didn't say anything because she loved having his son so close to her

"Emma, I think Henry fell asleep" Neal whispered watching his son's peacefully sleeping next to his mother

Emma looked down to see him "Yeah he did, I should wake him up, we need to get home, it's late and my parents are going to start to worry" she said whispering

Neal looked at his son "You can leave him here" he said still whispering "Well he's already sleep and he doesn't have school tomorrow" Neal wanted to be with his son all the time could; he saw Emma was making a face "If you want to, of course , if not I completely understand" though he hoped she would say yes

Emma noticed that he was thinking she didn't want Henry to stay with him "No, Neal, it's not that I don't want him to stay with you, it's just that since I got back from the enchanted forest I've never spent a night away from him… and I guess… I'll miss him" she completely trusted Neal to take care of their son, so she decided to let him know

"So he can stay here?" he asked hopeful

Emma smiled widely "Yes he ca…" before she finished her sentence Neal came close to her and kissed her, she closed her eyes and kissed him too, he pulled away and she opened her eyes

"What was that for?" She asked "not that I'm complaining" _'at all'_

"You trust me, and that means a lot to me" For Neal it was important to have Emma's trust back after all of what they'd been through

They stared at each other for a while smiling, then Neal look down at his son "Let me take him to bed" he carried him to his bed begin careful not to wake him

Emma watched Neal as he was taking off his son's shoes and tucking him into bed, Ever since Henry had found her, she'd dreamed about this moment where she could have her son and Neal together as a family, tears started forming in her eyes

"Goodnight buddy" he said placing a kiss on Henry's forehead

He turned to see Emma

"I had no idea you were such a sentimental" Neal commented sarcastically; seeing her like that was something he admired of this new and improved Emma

She tried to hide her tears, the emotion of seeing father and son share such a tender moment made her heart almost skipped a bit "I am not sentimental" Though she didn't think she needed to hide what she was feeling, it was something that she was used to and well _old habits die hard_

Neal let out a soft laugh "If you say so" he grabbed both of her hands and pulled her close almost no space between them, they remained there looking at each other enjoying each other's eyes, Neal passed his thumb over one of Emma's eye, cheek and chin, and then they kissed much like the first time since the got back together, but different this time they both knew this was going to last forever

Neal had to ask "So when are we going to tell Henry?" He wanted to share his happiness with his son; he knew how happy it would make Henry to know that his parents loved each other very much

She smiled "Soon, I promise" she didn't like lying to her son, the last time that she did, it didn't end well; She wasn't technically lying but still something about hiding from Henry felt wrong; she looked at the clock on the wall "Now, I have to go before my parents come looking for me" she teased him, though she didn't want to wait and see if she was right

"C'mon! You can stay a little while" Trying to convince Emma wasn't going to be easy but it was something he'd accomplished before

"Nope, I told you, I have crazy parents, you don't know them like I do" Yep Snow was probably looking at the clock with the phone in her hand ready to call her if she felt it necessary and David with the sword close to him in case he could need it "they probably already think I'm in some sort of trouble or that something bad happened to me_ or_ Henry"

"They can't be that bad" he said, but then she was right he didn't know them

"Oh no, you're right, they're not that bad, they're much worse" she loved her parents very much but sometimes they'd be a little over protective, to which she wasn't used to

And just like to prove her point, her cell rang; it was a text message from Snow

'Emma, we're making hot cocoa, are you coming soon? Should we make you some?'

She knew the only thing her mother wanted to ask was 'are you coming soon?' but she thought it was nice of her to make the effort of not sounding too over protective; even so, she didn't succeed

"See" she showed Neal the text message "Crazy parents" giving him the I-told-you-so look

"Ok, ok, fine, you win" he just gave in

Emma was just about to leave when she remembered about the dinner plans she and her mother had made "Hey, you think you could come tomorrow for dinner with my parents and Henry?" she hoped he wouldn't be freaked out with the proposal

Neal looked to the floor and then turned to face Emma trying to look nervous "So, dinner with the whole family, huh?" the truth is he was excited to have a family dinner, he hadn't had one in a very, very long time, and things with his father weren't exactly perfect yet, though there had been improvements since he moved in to Storybrooke

"If you don't want to come, I completely understand, I mean it's not like my father's been a very welcoming person, but he's willing to try" she didn't want to force Neal to socialize with her family but she would love it if they all could get along

"Are you kidding Emma, of course I'll go" Neal said now with a smile on his face

Emma began to relax; Neal was an expert on getting on her nerves, but in a Charming way that she'd just forgive him instantly "I really thought you didn't want to go" she said now relived

"I know, you should've seen the look in your face" he said laughing shyly

"Hey, are you making fun of me?" she crossed her arms

"Just a little bit" she confessed with that beautiful guilty smile of his, then hold Emma's hands between his "Snow and David, they're your family and they're Henry's family and hopefully, if you'll let me, someday…" he paused for a second, not unsure of what he was going to say, but unsure of how Emma would take it "they will be _my_ family too"

A million emotions ran through Emma's heart, she wanted more than anything to spend the rest of her life with the man she loved and to be a family for Henry, hearing him wishing for the same thing just was a lot to take in at once, she didn't know what to say, she had spent all her life alone with no one to be there for her, no one to count on unconditionally, but now she had Neal and though it was the most amazing thing to have him, she still wasn't used to that much…_ love _

If Neal didn't mean what she thought He meant, she was going to kick his ass for saying something like that without thinking

She simply asked "You're family?" she didn't want to have that conversation right now, things we going so well between them, she didn't want to complicate things with heavy stuff like that "You don't mean, you want to"

"... spend the rest of my life with you?" he finished her sentence trying to avoid words like _'marriage'_ or _'wedding'_ because he knew they would freak her out "Yes I do mean that, Look I'm not asking anything right now, I'm just saying when things get a little, I don't know… _'normal' _maybe we can think about it"

"Ok, this is getting too heavy" she looked at him a little nervous "why don't we just stick with the whole dinner-with-my-parents thing and we can talk about all of this later… but like way later" she said with puppy-dog eyes

He sighed and then chuckled; he knew Emma loved him so he wasn't going to pressure her into anything she didn't want "Ok"

"I have to go" she said

"Oh yeah, your crazy parents await for you" he laughed

Neal grabbed her hand and walked her to the door

"You know, I would walk you home, but I sort of have a guest" he said and took a look inside the room where Henry was peacefully sleeping "and I bet his mother would hunt me down if I leave him alone for even a second"

"Yeah, you're right, and I heard she's really good at tracking people" she pulled him close

"I think I can manage" he said before their lips intertwined in a passionate kiss

**Do not forget to review! :D pretty please ;)**

**-margroalarcon**


	7. Busted and Great

**Thank you all for your reviews!**

**Chapter VII**

**Busted and Great**

Neal closed the door; he sighed leaning over the door, who knew how tiring taking care of an 11 year old was, but then, it was completely worth it; Having a kid as especial as Henry was worth anything, he was going to protect his family forever, Emma and Henry were the most important thing in his life and nothing was going to stop them from being together

He was so deep in his own thoughts that it wasn't until he heard a noise that he realized he wasn't alone

"So, did you really think I wasn't going to find out about you two?" Henry said standing in front of his father; as happy as he could be to have his parents happy and together, they had lied to him, Emma had lied to him again, she had promised not to, but she broke that promise

"Ah yeah" he said, guilty words slipping his mouth "I guess you caught us, you really are a very smart kid" he smiled to him hoping henry wasn't as angry as he looked

But he was "Why did you guys lie to me?" Henry loved his parents but somehow all the people that he cared about always ended up lying to him, Regina, Emma, and now Neal too

"We didn't lie Henry" Neal took a deep breath "we didn't want to tell you, because we didn't want to hurt you if something went wrong" he kneeled to his son's height "we love you Henry"

"But she promised she wouldn't lie to me again" he was sad now more than angry "she broke her promise" he said looking down to the floor

"Hey, Henry" Neal said with a soft voice "you mother loves you very much and she was only trying to protect you" he lifted his son's face "look at me Henry" he waited for henry to look at him, it took a while but he finally gave in "you can't be angry at her for doing that"

"But" henry protested

"No buts buddy, you know she loves you, and _I _know she'd do anything for you" he fixed his son's hair "and sometimes that _anything _can be something that you might not prefer" he said trying to explain how love sometimes worked "but that doesn't mean she doesn't love you, ok?"

Henry calmed down; he knew his father was right "Ok" he said smiling

Neal looked at him curios; his son looked like he wanted to say something

"So do you think I'm having a brother or sister anytime soon?" he teased his father

"What?" he was taken by surprise _'What'_ was all Neal could manage to say

Henry chuckled after realizing how nervous his dad had gotten, and then he hugged him really tight

"I love you Dad"

"Me too buddy, I love you more than you could ever know"

**-Inside the loft-**

Emma entered the apartment shaking off the rain, then took her coat and hanged it one the coat stand

"Emma" her mother greeted her daughter "you're here"

"Yeah, I told you I was coming home soon" she said getting closer to her mother who was sitting in the couch

"Where's Henry?" Snow asked

"He fell asleep during the movie, we didn't want to wake him, so I left him there with Neal" It was so strange, she already missed him so much, just knowing he wasn't going to sleep next to her, made her heart ache, but she knew he was with Neal and that eased the pain a little

Snow had been reading a book and David fell asleep on the coach right next to his wife; Emma looked at the both of them "You know, you didn't have to wait for me"

"I know, I wanted to" she look down at Charming "we wanted to, but I guess your father was a little too tired"

"I'm not a kid you know, I can take care of myself" She sure wasn't a kid, hell, she even had one

"Emma, are we really having this conversation again?" Snow was tired of explaining to Emma, how she'll always see her as her little girl regardless of her age, and that she'll take care of her and protect her for as long as Emma let her

"I guess not, _mom_" she emphasized 'mom' she wanted to make sure that Snow knew she felt like a teenager being scolded by her mother

"That's what I thought" Snow grinned in victory, there were counted how many times she'd made Emma give in, and she was proud of that, given how stubborn her daughter was _'wonder where she got that from?'_

Emma saw the opportunity to see if she knew her mother as well as she thought "So, where's that hot cocoa?"

Snow looked at her daughter confused "What do you mean? What hot cocoa?"

Apparently she did know her pretty well; she let out a soft laugh "Never mind"

"So, Emma, how did it go with Neal and Henry?" Snow loved to hear every detail of her daughter's life and well, she didn't say up this late just to wish her daughter goodnight

"Great" her mother's question made her remember the conversation she'd just had with Neal about their future and even though she was sure what she wanted, she wasn't quite sure _when_ she wanted it

Snow noticed Emma's expression; it was much like the time when Emma had come to Mary Margaret's apartment to payback the bail money, much like she was desperate to talk to someone, in this case desperate to talk to her mother "So, how about you go change into more comfortable clothes and_ I_ make us two hot cocoas?"

She wasn't going to fight her mother on this only because she knew she wasn't going to win "Ok, but just so you know, I'm not doing the whole crying and pouring my feelings out thing that you always made me do"

Emma went upstairs to her bedroom to change and Snow went to get a blanket for her husband who was apparently a deep sleeper and didn't even move the whole time they were talking near him

Few minutes later the cocoas we're ready and Emma came from upstairs into her mother's bedroom; Snow was holding the picture that herself and Emma had taken before the curse were broken, before they knew they were family

"I'm glad we took that picture" said Emma standing on the frame of Snow's bedroom

"Me too" she replied looking at her daughter as if she was the only person in the whole world "Come here" she invited Emma to climb into bed

Emma joined her; it was nice to have those moments with her mother, though she would never admit it, it was one of the things she'd always dreamed of "Our very own first family picture" she said; Snow smiled and they both took their cup of cocoa

"So" Snow said changing the subject "do you want to talk about it?"

Emma was confused, or at least she pretended to be "Talk about what?, Why do you think I want to talk about something?" her walls started to build around her, but they weren't going to last long, Somehow Snow always knew a way to bring them down

"Come on Emma, when I asked you how your day had gone, you said _'Great'_" she said trying to impersonate the blonde, to which for Emma's surprise Snow was very good at

"It went great. What did you want me to say?" she said looking down her cup

"You know, you're not the only one who can tell when people are lying" Snow always knew when Emma wasn't being completely honest about her feelings, she knew when Emma felt troubled even when they were just Mary Margaret and Emma, when they were only friends`

Emma felt trapped _'Damn how does she do that?' _

"I didn't lie. It _was _great…" she made a pause

"But…" snow continued

"But, then Neal said something" Emma took a sip of her cocoa

Given his reputation with her daughter Snow thought the worst "Emma, did he hurt you?" she asked in a really high voice

"No, nothing like that" Emma clarified "He just got me thinking" she got her mug close to her mouth and before she took a sip she said to her mother "He sort of said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me" she took a sip looking at her mother of the corner of her eyes

Snow was taken aback by Emma's comment regarding Neal, she didn't like sharing her daughter with someone who had hurt her before, and now she came to realize that she'd have to share her forever, but no matter what, she would always stand by her daughter "And that's a bad thing…" she said questioning Emma

"No, it's not a bad thing, it's just that…" Emma didn't like sharing her feelings but this was her mother and she knew she could trust her "I guess I'm afraid to get hurt" she paused "again"

Snow just looked at Emma holding her hand, she knew her too well to say something that would just push her away so she just waited for her to let out everything that she was holding back

"I know I said I forgave him, and I did, but that doesn't change the fact that he betrayed me once, he _left _me and didn't reappeared for 11 years" she took a deep breath; Even if Neal had left for the right reasons, Emma still suffered the consequences, she still got hurt "and what if for some messed up reason someone asks him to do the '_right thing'_ and leave me, why wouldn't he do it again?"

"Emma you can't to be afraid of what might happen" she rubbed Emma's arm up and down "I don't know if you'll get hurt or not, but one thing I do know, you can't live hold back by fear, Emma, you're brave, smart and stubborn enough to kick fear's ass and just be happy" Emma chuckled, she didn't know how but her mother always had the perfect thing to say; Snow continued "besides, you've said that he's changed, isn't that worth something?"

"Yeah he has, and Yes it is, he's a better man" Emma knew him a long time ago and she knew him now, she could tell he was being honest about his feelings for her, and for a moment that thought made all her fears disappear; she looked at her mother "and I am completely in love with him" for the first time she'd been open about her feelings for Neal to her mother and she hopped Snow approved of Neal

Snow couldn't be happier for Emma, ever since she found out that she was pregnant all that Snow wanted was her daughter to have a happy ending and Neal was an important part of that happiness "Do you have any idea how happy those words make me?" she asked with a grin and tears forming in her eyes

Emma was confused; she thought that her mother wouldn't be happy for her loving with the man who left her go to jail

"Ever since I first laid eyes on you, all I've ever wanted was for you to be happy" she looked at her daughter's puzzled expression "I mean don't get me wrong I still have a tiny little grudge for what he did to you" Hell, she was her mother she was permitted no to like her daughter's boyfriend a little "But if you love him and he loves you Emma, then that's all that matters, the rest, all of your fears are nothing but obstacles that you got to get through to be together"

"You really think so?" Emma asked

"I do, and believe me when I say this, when you find true love Emma, you don't ever let it go, ever"

Emma was taken aback by her mother words, 'True love' was such a fairytale thing she never thought of true love in her entire life except for when she was with Neal, but still 'True love' was such an intense thought "True love, huh?" she laughed looking at her mother

"Don't look at me like that" she straighten up "True love does exists, Emma" said looking at her sleeping husband in the couch, then turn right back to Emma "You just need to let it in"

"So, how did you know _'Prince Charming' _over there was true love?" she asked looking at her father

"I don't know" she answered "I guess I've always known"

Whether she wanted to admit it or not Emma knew Neal was her one true love, she'd always known, since the first time she saw him in the back of that yellow bug, when she was so gracefully stealing it from an extremely handsome thief, she knew then that he was her true love, she'd just spent 11 years trying to forget about it, _trying _

FIN

**I wasn't getting inspired anymore by the story so I decided to end it… thank all of you for your reviews and your support, I'll start a new story soon :) ****  
**


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